The Clifton clarion., 1887-01-26
.AL0ST ART REVIVED.
 THE BURANO LACE MAKERS.
Queen Iiarc1erile'5 sehooi-Deli-
 cnte and Costly Fabrics That Closely k;;rai the Antique. {,


 Qusen yiar~1erile-5 sehooi-DeIi- cnte and Costly Fabrics That II Closely Rival the Antique. There may be seen in the shop windows in Italy photograph, by l Vianclli, of Venice, of Queen Mar guerite, of Italy, the dearly-loved wife of Umberto, so idolized by her ' Italian subjects. A tiny square of | Venetian lace ornaments her wavy : hair and shawl of the same fabric is drapcd around her, just showing ! the pearls wound in several rows about her neck. Queen Marguerite is not typical Italian beauty. Her ' face is fair and delicate and her hair chestnut-"c castagna," as the musi- cal language calls it. The picture i5 q beautiful one and we may hope that the future has happier role in store for the "Pearl of Savoy" than the past has had for many crowned heats during the last century of revolution and change. She lives in the hearts Of the Italian people as few monarchs have ever done.
 Queen Marguerite is the patroness of the school lately established in Venice, to revive the manufacture of the old Burano lace, brought to such perfection in the fifteenth and six teenth centuries. In q summer trip to Venice many persons miss the most beautiful of its environs, the islands and lagoons that cluster round the city. While every one visits the Bridge of Signs and the Palace of the Doges, few visit the islands, which have interest from their dead historic fame as well as liv- ing beauty. On some of these are convents and churches. Toricelli has a queer mosaic of the Last Judg- ment," said to have inspired the poet Dante with thoughts of his Inferno" Burano WAS the home of the women who in the fifteenth century first made the world-renowncd Venetian point lace.
 The story of it's origin is still told on the island. 4 sailor brought home to his sweetheart sea plant from the southern ocean called mermaid's lace (palime6ia opuntia). She saw that it could not be preserved very long, So with needle and thread she copied i. faithfully and thus kept memento Of her love-token. This girl was the invcntress oi the fabric and her fame spread far and wide. She made many other patterns, some of which lave been preserved in book printed in Ver;ce in 1891, published by a nephew of the great Titan. This book describes various pieces of lace made for royal gifts, one cloak made for French Queen in 14S0 and col lar of exquisite workmanship made for Louis XIV, at his coronation, which cost 250 gold pieces.
 In the many changes in Italy, and during the Austrian occupation of Venice, the Burano lace ceased to bo made, and in 1865 it was said that TO one had any remembrance of the art.
 During the severe winter of 1872 there vas much suffering among the people of this island. Famine and poverty made sad havoc. The men were mostly fishermen or sailors, and the women Were employed in making nets that had little or no sale. The Pope and the King sent aid 10 the starving people, and out of this was q surplus of q small amount, which N. Fabri and others suggested might be well used in establishing school for the revival of the beautiful in duStrv in Venetian lace.
 The Princess Giovanelli Chigi and the Countess AdFisna Marcelio, two oi the Queens ladies of honor, known and loved fer their good works and charity to their poor country people and who had long wished to revive this lace manufacture, became pa- tyoneSses of the enterprise. Visiting among tie women of Burauo they found an old woman named Ceucia Scarpagliola, who owned some pieces oi lace she mad made in her youth and was still able to worl; at the al most forgotten art. They iinmedi ateiy csta blishsd work room and school and put old Cencia al the head and more than two hundred girls have been taught by her. Their most important labor has been the Tcpro- duction of the laces of Pope Clement NH. The originals belonged to Queen Marguerite and she kindly lent them to be copied. Fifteen women were two years or this task.
 Anna Bellonio d'Este, an in,elli- gent school-mistress, was associated with old Cencia, as she better under ssood the routine of teaching. Every day she taught eight of her papils lace making. Soon her scholars in creased to several hundred Tho schools do not coniHe their instruc- tions to the making of Burano lace only. Point d'Alcncon, Brussels, and English point, raised lace and other varieties are msde. Each scholar has her own part 10 do. A piece of lace goes through seven or eight hands, thus each can attain perfection in one style of stitch and then go on 10 another. As general thing tho workers ere kept on the same pattern until they are perfect in it. A draw ing lesson is given once week in the schools, so that ali are enabled 10 understand the tracing oi the patterns more easily Philadelphia Times.